Geology of Loki

Chapter Two

The geology of Loki is wildly different
from that of Earth: Loki's surface is almost entirely covered
by water.

The illustration
shows the results of the preliminary survey of the planet's oceans.
Red areas represent underwater areas of high volcanic activity.
Green areas are the shallowest parts of the ocean, being a mile
or less in depth. Blue areas are between a mile and two miles
deep, and dark blue areas are the deepest zones.

Whereas the largest portion of the heat on the Earth is from
sunlight, Loki gets the majority of its heat from friction caused
by tidal forces due to its close proximity to Thor. These same
tidal forces cause accelerated crust formation and greatly increased
volcanic activity.

A cautious exploration
of a portion of one of the volcanic areas showed open ridges
and vents from which lava flowed, spreading out and forming terraces
that gradually sloped down to greater depths. The entire ridge
area was cracked and broken, with many openings contributing
to the eruptions. The vents themselves were sometimes surrounded
by areas of uneven rock, forming chimneys and steep cones; in
other places large eruptions of lava appeared to have formed
smoother surfaces. Lava that had been forced out of the volcanoes
and cooled while thrown up into the water had formed boulders
and pebbles that littered the underwater scene. As the surrounding
ocean area was perturbed by steam and molten rock, our descriptions
are tentative at this time.